We’ve been talking a lot about watermelons this summer! And as one of the most hydrating and tasty fruits, we’re happy to have one more reason to incorporate it into our summer dishes, just in time for your Fourth of July cookout!

Ingredients:

FOR SALSA

1 cup chopped seedless watermelon

1 cup chopped honeydew melon

3 tablespoons sweet onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalepeno pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

FOR PORK CHOPS

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops, trimmed

cooking spray

Preparation:

1. To prep salsa, combine the first 7 ingredients and set aside

2. To prep pork chops, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine oil and next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl. Rub oil mixture over both sides of pork chops. Coat pan with cookies spray. Add pork to pan, cook for 4 minutes on both sides or until desired degree of doneness.

Hardly mainstream when I was a child, these curious fruits have become quite the versatile and popular food lately, and for good reason. I’ve been experimenting with these green beauties, and have to say I’m so impressed with the results! There are some wonderful reasons to include avocado in your family meals, and extremely easy ways to do so.

Because its flavor is mild, it’s easy on young, developing palates, and the texture is silky smooth, allowing parents to introduce it as one of baby’s first foods.

There are many things that make avocados …. awesome:

Fat: The heart-healthy fat found in avocados is primarily monounsaturated, amazing for children’s developing brains and helpful for absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

Fiber: This feature, along with the fat, assists digestion and can help children who struggle with constipation.

Vitamins and Minerals: Avocados offer some great potassium, an essential electrolyte that runs our heart and assists in healthy muscle development. Additionally, they contains some Vitamin K and Vitamin E, both fat-soluble vitamins that assist in healthy blood clotting and provide strong antioxidant properties, respectively. The B vitamins, including folic acid, help in maintenance of a healthy nervous system, and are a key to unlocking the energy that other foods provide.

Flexibility and Versatility: You can work an avocado into endless meals in so many different ways. It lends well to whatever flavors you pair with it, and can be a nice change from typical condiments, spreads or dips.

Add some cinnamon and applesauce to mashed avocado for a sweet snack

Combine it with some tomatoes, onions and peppers for a dip with a zing

Try spreading some on your morning toast, then top it off with an egg

Dice some into your favorite pasta salad

Here’s one of my latest finds:

Avocado-Egg Salad Sandwiches with Pickled Celery

To prevent avocado from browning in leftover egg salad, place any remaining salad in a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap. Then cover the entire bowl tightly with plastic wrap.

Yield:

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

6 large eggs

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup mashed ripe avocado

1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons dry-roasted salted sunflower seeds

8 (1-ounce) slices whole-grain bread, toasted

1 cup baby arugula

4 heirloom tomato slices

Preparation

Add water to a large saucepan to a depth of 1 inch; set a large vegetable steamer in pan. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add eggs to steamer. Cover and steam eggs 16 minutes. Remove from heat. Place eggs in a large ice water-filled bowl.

There’s nothing much better for breakfast than a hot fluffy muffin right out of the oven. The only thing that can make it better, is baking them with your children! With Mother’s Day coming this Sunday, we wanted to help you get the day off to a fun start with family time in the kitchen. For a twist, top each muffin with a dried banana chip for that extra special touch. We’re sure that everyone will love these Whole Wheat Banana Muffins.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F; mist a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper or foil liners. In a large bowl, combine both types of flour with baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix bananas with eggs, sugar, milk, butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Fold banana mixture into flour mixture just until combined and batter forms; do not overmix.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; place a banana chip on top of each one, if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.

We know how hard it can sometimes be to please the palates of your kids. Sometimes thinking of a new recipe to make for your kids can be put on the back burner because of other things that might come up. Luckily, we have asked our friends at Cooking Light for some inspiration. Their Chewy Coconut Granola Bars are a fantastic recipe. It’s a new and refreshing recipe and you can even get your little chefs baking with you in the kitchen!

Weigh or lightly spoon 3 ounces all-purpose flour and 1.6 ounces whole-wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine sugar, oil, milk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in granola and fruit. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with coconut.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Tacos are a great and fun dinner to make especially when you are low on time. Instead of using taco meat, try fish as your protein! We love this Chipotle Shrimp Taco recipe from Cooking Light. This recipe gives you a flavorful blast of chipotle chile powdered shrimp tacos in 15 minutes!

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder

32 peeled and deveined large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 teaspoon olive oil

8 (6-inch) white corn tortillas

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 16 slices

3/4 cup salsa verde

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add shrimp, tossing to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp mixture to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat.

Heat tortillas in microwave according to package directions. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates; arrange 4 shrimp on each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup lettuce, 2 avocado slices, and 1 1/2 tablespoons salsa.

The recipe and photo featured in this post were provided by Cooking Light. To read the original recipe please click here.

Brussels sprouts have been all the buzz lately. They’re a delicious side dish to any lunch or dinner. Try this easy recipe from Cooking Lightwith your dinner tonight. We’re sure you are going to be making more!

Double-Chocolate Cupcakes

With Valentine’s Day in just a couple of days, we’re sure that spending time with your loved ones is on your mind. Get your dose of love by baking these yummy cupcakes with your kids. Try these delicious double chocolate cupcakes as a sweet snack!